(on all of the injuries) "Arian (Foster) did not practice. Jacoby (Jones) did not practice. Derrick Ward did not practice. J-Jo (Johnathan Joseph) did practice. He was fine. Kevin (Walter) practiced and all signs are pointing in the right direction. That was it for the day."

(on WR Jacoby Jones' injury) "Banged his knee, swole up on him. We drained it, drained it again today, so it could be end of the week before he's back out here. We think he'll be okay, but just knee swole up on him."

(on if it's too early in the week to have an indication on the running back situation for Sunday) "Yeah, I think it is. Arian (Foster) didn't practice, but he worked real hard. We're putting him through a program. It may be a routine right now on Wednesdays. We'll see where he's at, but obviously we've got two guys unless we would do something with (Chris) Ogbonnaya. You can play a game with two guys. You don't like two. You'd like to suit up three, but we'll see. We'll see where Arian's at."

(on QB Drew Brees) "He's one of the top guys in football and has been for a while. I watched him in San Diego do it and I've been watching him here in New Orleans. I've got a lot of respect for him. He's a great leader, loves to play the game, runs that offense to perfection. We've got our hands full."

(on the size of the Saints) "Yeah, they're built pretty big. When we played them here in the preseason, they just lined up and went downhill at us, our defense especially. They're a very athletic football team, built around a lot of speed outside and that turf makes them even faster and now they went and added one of the top returners in the game, so a very dangerous football team and we know that."

(on if it's good or bad to win against a team in the preseason and then play them again in the regular season) "I don't know. I don't know that it has any factor. Whoever plays the best is going to win. That was a pretty vanilla football game from both teams standpoint. A lot of people played in that game. Obviously going there and playing them is a big different story for us, as far as trying to handle crowd noise and that atmosphere. They're a great football team. We'll have to play great."

(on if he held back some of his play calling in the preseason game against the Saints) "I don't know. I don't feel that way. Every week, you go out there and try to be at your best. In the preseason, obviously you're playing a lot of players so you probably cut down scheme-wise in some of the things you're doing, but bottom line is you got to play good. New plan, new game, see what happens."

(on the Saints defense) "They'll come get you. He likes to blitz and we know that. He's very aggressive, so we got our hands full protecting our quarterback and the best way we can protect him is keep our down and distance manageable and that means probably running the ball for us. We know what we're up against. They're about aggressiveness as a football team. It doesn't matter if it's third-and-15 or third-and-2, he'll come get you, so we'll have to be ready to do our job."

(on the backs picking up the blitz) "Well that's a factor. Ben (Tate) has been good at times. He's struggled at times, so we need him to be at his best. Steve's (Slaton) probably further along from a standpoint of the mental approach of having more reps and Arian's (Foster) excellent at protecting the quarterback, so hopefully we've got them all available, but it will be a challenge up front as well."

(on what makes the Saints so tough) "Like I said, there's a lot of people that put pressure on people, but these guys will do it all down and distances. It doesn't matter, so when you're building a plan or trying to play against them, that's got to be in the back of your mind all the time. Like I said, the best way for us to combat that is to stay on schedule. You start getting penalties, you start having sacks against this team and going backwards or having third-and-longs, you're in for a long day."

(on the development of RB Ben Tate) "It's fun to watch when you get a guy who's talented, just watching them try to become a pro or as they become a pro, I guess is a good way to put it. He was out last year. He did study. He stayed in his book. He comes into camp this year. He misses a little time. He just kept working. He got an opportunity through injury really. That's the honest fact and he's taking advantage of it. You got to be impressed with what he's doing with this opportunity and hopefully it continues."

(on if he's concerned they are leaning too heavy on RB Ben Tate) "Well, I think that's us telling how much confidence we have in him. It's like the other day when he started, the way he was carrying that ball in the last 10 minutes of the game, there was no doubt who had control of what was going on. That player right there is telling you by how he's playing to 'Give it to me. I can get it handled,' so hopefully that continues to grow. I know he's getting some confidence, he believes himself and he knows he's got to get better and that's probably the most important thing."

(on if there's anything that has surprised him about RB Ben Tate) "I think the fact that he's gotten a little better the longer he goes in a game. He's got speed. He's a big play player, but it sure looked like as he carries the ball, he gets a little stronger too, so that was impressive."

(on causing turnovers) "Well that's huge. We lost the turnover battle Week 1 and won the game, but last week, the reason we won the game is because we were plus-two. We win the turnover battle and find a way to run the ball, we're going to have our chances every week. It's very important. Our defense has been getting their hand on a lot of them and hopefully it continues."

Offensive Coordinator Rick Dennison

(on if the Texans have a particular running back philosophy) "No, I don't think there is. I think it's whoever gained yards. We just happened to be in that sort. It's whoever's hot. We have a lot of guys, we try to teach them all the same way and try and get them to do the same thing. They've done a great job working hard at it. Ben (Tate) is the next example, I guess."

(on how important it is to have WR Kevin Walter back) "Well, certainly the toughness issue because Kevin (Walter) is one of the toughest guys we got. He does everything you ask him to do; the dirty work, the easy work, whatever. He'll go out there and he'll grind. He won't take any snaps off. For a team standpoint, having Kevin back will be great."

(on the "dirty work" he was talking about) "Just all the stuff in the run game and selling some of the stuff in the pass game. We ask him to do a lot of hard work. It's not easy for a wide receiver, but he's exceptional at that."

(on what FB James Casey is doing that has allowed the team to move on without missing a beat) "I think (James) Casey's done everything we've asked him. He does a great job of breaking the formation, obviously getting out, he's such a good athlete. But he's done what you've asked him in the run game, as far as facing up a linebacker and getting that job done. He's given us a lot of versatility."

(on how much FB James Casey's versatility creates issues for the opposition) "Well, you'd have to ask them that. We hope it does."

(on what issues he thinks FB James Casey's versatility presents for the opposition) "We think it just makes them have to cover more aspects of the field, more green grass so it spreads out for the rest of the guys."

(on how much FB James Casey's blocking has improved) "Oh, he's improved a lot. And he's working really hard at it for that reason you see him improve. He's out here every day, trying to get better at it."

(on how much time the Texans spent on the Saints blitzing) "Certainly when someone has a lot of packages like they have, we have to work on it. We have to do that on every week. Everyone has a certain amount of pressures that they will use. Everyone is just a bit different, so we'll spend our time in meetings, in practice and walkthroughs picked up."

(on if down and distance has much to do when the Saints blitz) "At times. Sometimes I just think he dials it up when he wants to. We don't have a crystal ball. We just have to be ready for every snap."

(on if the Saints were "vanilla" in the preseason, knowing they were going to play the Texans in the regular season) "I wouldn't know that. We had a good day. But I wouldn't know that, you'd have to ask (Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams)."

(on if he's interested to see if his team can take that "next step") "That's what we're trying to do is just go 1-0 this week. We have to put whatever we did right or wrong behind us, look forward and try and get better each week."

(on if there is anything he can take away from the preseason win against the Saints) "You see some aspects of what they're trying to do structure-wise, but you never know exactly what (Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams) is trying to do. We'll work on some of that and certainly our game plan will change, too. Each week's a new challenge, so this week's certainly a new challenge for us."

(on if he expected to see the level of play he's seen from RB Ben Tate) "Yeah, we had hoped to when we had drafted him and then real disappointed when we didn't get him at all last year. We saw some dramatic improvement, obviously since training camp. The thing we missed was having him in OTAs because that wasn't available to us. You don't know how far he would've gone along and there was a big question because he hadn't spent a whole lot of time and certainly he's done everything we've asked."

(on if the Saints' crowd and Saints blitzing creates "double jeopardy" for the offensive line) "We'll have to handle it. Whatever's asked of them to do, they'll get it done. They've responded every time we've challenged them and this is a new challenge."

T Duane Brown

(on the challenges of the Saints defense) "Very tough defense. They play well as a unit. Their D-Coordinator dials up a lot of blitzes. Another big challenge is playing against them in the Superdome having that crowd behind them, but it's nothing we haven't seen before. We've faced them every year in the preseason."

(on if he didn't learn much from the preseason game against the Saints) "Yeah, but we noticed stuff, the packages they have. They showed a little bit more last year when he played them. Same personnel, more or less, so we're pretty familiar with them."

(on if it's more challenging what the Saints do structurally or the fact that they blitz frequently) "Yeah, they're very relentless. The structure isn't too bad, but those guys get after it. They're very aggressive, play with a high intensity and they try to intimidate you with their style of play."

WR Andre Johnson

(on reporters being in the locker room while the players are changing) "It's part of the job, so I'm used to it. This is my ninth season. I have no choice but to be used to it now."

(on what he thinks of first when he hears "Saints") "Winners. They played in the Super Bowl a few years ago; they've been playing in a lot of big games. We're trying to get to that point to where they've been. That's the first thing I think about."

(on the role receivers play against a team that blitzes so much like the Saints) "Well, you have to beat their man-coverage or whatever kind of coverage they put out there. You just have to find a way to get open. The o-line has to give Matt (Schaub) the time and we have to find open holes in their defense. That's pretty much it. We have to protect and go out and make plays."

(on how much the Texans have talked about taking the crowd out of the game on Sunday) "The only way you're going to take the crowd out of the game is by making plays that's the only way you're going to take the crowd out of the game. You have to go out and make some plays early and just try to keep them quiet."

(on if the Texans can take anything from their preseason win against the Saints to help in Sunday's game) "No, it really doesn't matter. They really didn't do much against us, as far as blitzing and things like that. We knew that. You look at them on film now, you see all the blitzes and things that they're doing when they play against people. You really can't worry about what happened in the preseason."

(on the potential to make big plays against a team when you pick up their blitz) "Yeah, there's a possibility to make plays. You can see other teams make plays on them. That's what happens when you take chances like that. They do a great job of mixing it up and they've been very successful with it. It will be a challenge for us. Like I said, they're a good football team and it's going to be a challenge for us, so we have to be ready to go out and execute our offense on Sunday."

(on if a blitzing defense like the Saints' can make an offense have to be more patient in order to get the ball out safely) "Whoever gets the opportunity, you just have to make the best of it. There is going to be a time in the game where we have to catch a short pass and probably take it the distance or get a long run. Those are the things that have to happen against a team like that when they do those type of things to you."

(on if the Saints are the first true test for the Texans) "As long as you win every week, it's going to be tougher and tougher. We play a hell of a football team. We know what type of team they are. We went against them pretty much I think the past three years in training camp. We're pretty familiar with each other, but at the same time, we all have to go out and get it done on Sunday."

(on QB Matt Schaub's secret to being such a successful quarterback on the road) "Matt (Schaub) never panics. If something bad happens, he's a guy who has a very short-term memory, who forgets about it and move on. That's the thing about him, when something bad happens, in the huddle, he's the first one to (say) 'Hey, man, forget about it. Let's go on to the next play.' I think that's what helps him out a whole lot. He forgets about what happens, whether it's positive or negative. He just goes on to the next play."

(on QB Matt Schaub's demeanor in the huddle) "You just never know. I've been in the huddle where one time everybody was serious and he came in and told a joke right before he said the play and he got a laugh out of everybody and kind of loosened everybody up. But you never know. He's serious most of the time. At the same time, I think he does a great job just keeping guys loose when they're in the huddle."

(on if the way the Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams blitzes frees him up for single coverage or if they keep a safety back to cover him) "There are times when you have single coverage. (Gregg Williams) does a great job of mixing things up. When they do blitz, we'll have to go out and beat whatever coverage they throw at us. I really don't worry about if a safety is over the top or wherever. I've been seeing that kind of coverage since I've been in the League. You just have to find a way to go out and beat it."

(on if the team is using last year as an example or reminder of what not to do this season) "Whatever happened last year is in the past. We all

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